Off The Shelf – “Diamond and iVerse Team-Up”

When I was twelve years old, I was walking through a convenience store with my father.Â We were standing at the check out, and I was looking around waiting for him to pay for whatever it was we had come into the store to get.Â I looked over at the news stand rack near the front door, and for the very first time I noticed the comic books on the rack.

I grabbed one and asked him if he would buy it for me.Â Having not seen a comic book since he was a child, my father was a little flabbergasted by the price, but thankfully, he sat it down on the counter instead of telling me to put it back.

That day everything changed for me.Â I read that comic book from cover to cover a hundred times over the course of that week, and I was immediately hooked into the world of comics.Â I soon went back and used my allowance to get more comicsâ€¦eventually discovering more of them at other convenience stores in town as well.

It was probably six months later before I discovered comic book stores.Â There were 2 dedicated comic book stores in Waco, which was near where I grew up.Â One was called â€œBankstonâ€™sâ€, the other â€œPaper Heroesâ€.Â These two comic book stores introduced me to the broader world of comics â€” from the indie mini-comics scene at â€œPaper Heroesâ€ I discovered a whole new world of comic books, and â€œBankstonâ€™sâ€ was the kind of place where you could actually see living breathing comic book history in the form of collectable back issues, trades and more.

I owe my current career to these two shops, and the people who dedicated themselves to running them.

Since 2008 if youâ€™ve ever read an interview with me, or seen me speak on a panel, youâ€™ve heard me talk about how much we at iVerse love comic book stores.Â Almost our entire office still treks down to â€œBankstonâ€™sâ€ every Wednesday to pick up new books. Â Iâ€™m sure some people may have thought that was just lip serviceâ€¦something that I needed to say to make sure we didnâ€™t make anyone angry.

Today, weâ€™re finally able to show that itâ€™s the Godâ€™s honest truth.

Weâ€™re incredibly proud to be announcing our partnership with Diamond Comics to introduce a truly innovative program that will allow retailers to sell digital comics along with their print counterparts INSIDE comic book stores.Â We have been working on this program for over a year, trying to determine how to fit the pieces together in a way that not only makes retailers a part of the digital future â€“ but HELPS bring new customers into comic book stores as well.

This is NOT an affiliate program.Â Retailers are going to be able to make far more money selling these digital comics than they would ever be able to with an affiliate program where their customerâ€™s money is going to someone other than the retailers themselves.

Retailers are going to be able to sell comics on their websites, sure â€” but theyâ€™ll also be able to sell digital comics INSIDE their comic storesâ€¦at the same time they sell print copiesâ€¦and with select titles theyâ€™ll even have an EXCLUSIVE window to sell those titles before anyone elseâ€¦including iVerse.

Some people might wonder WHY would we want to do this?

The answer is simple.

WE. LOVE. COMICS.

Digital Comics are a part of a much larger comic book ecosystem, and it is important that we do everything we can to support all parts of that ecosystem.Â â€œNeeds of the Manyâ€¦â€ you might say.

At iVerse we believe that digital comics ARE the new NEWS STAND.Â Our biggest hits are powerhouse brands like Archie and Sonic from Archie Comics, and Transformers, Star Trek, G. I. Joe and more from IDW.Â Pocket God Comics may be the most successful paid digital comic to EVER come out of the US comics market!

What do all of those brands have in common?Â They all appeal to kids and young teens.

With these titles and brands weâ€™re helping to introduce THOUSANDS of people to the world of comics EVERY SINGLE DAYâ€¦and we believe that many of them are just like us.Â They will love digital comics for their portability and instant accessâ€¦but theyâ€™ll also love floppies, trades, hard covers, action figures, statues, collectable tumbler glasses, t-shirts, and anything else you can put in front of them.

iVerse was founded on the concept of helping to find the next generation of comic book reader.Â Weâ€™ve been doing that since 2008, but today, thanks to our partnership with Diamond, we can begin taking that to the next level.

Today weâ€™re announcing the very first piece of this program.Â There is MUCH more to come.Â This week weâ€™ll be at ComicsPRO with Diamond. Weâ€™re here to hear your feedback, answer your questions, and weâ€™re fully prepared to talk you under the table about every age from Golden to Digital.Â If you see any of us at the show, please stop by and say hello.Â Weâ€™re happy to show you how this whole thing is going to work, and how simple it will be.

If you arenâ€™t heading to ComicsPRO weâ€™ll also be at every major convention this year, or you can always email me atÂ michael@iversemedia.com or chat with me onÂ Twitter.Â We want to know what you think, and how we can make this program better for you.